Finger Lickin' Chicken

No, this is not a post about the Colonel’s chicken. I love KFC, but there are other notable chicken shacks in Chicago. I know I just talked about Nashville-style fried chicken, so yes, I suppose I do have a bit of an obsession. I have no shame though. The first fried chicken jewel of Chicago is Harold’s Chicken Shack. This chicken has caught the attention of the rich and famous - such as Kendrick Lamar, as he admits “I done flew a private jet for some Harold's Chicken straight from Rome” (Jealous by Fredo Santana). To be honest, I do not quite know if it is the chicken, the crispy skin, or the signature hot sauce, but there is something about this place where once I get the craving, you best believe I do whatever it takes to satisfy that craving. Harold’s is scattered amongst the southern parts of Chicago, with locations in Indiana and Iowa too. Freshman year I searched Harold’s on the iPhone Maps app, and it led me to a location on Wells Street under the Brown Line. Don’t let this fool you, for you will not find the fried chicken of the gods there. Luckily there was, and remains, a Harold’s in the South Loop off of the Harrison Red Line. If that is not close enough, you can also order through Postmates and get it delivered, but it’d be easy to abuse that luxury and you might find yourself blowing through your savings.

The other fried chicken unique to the Chi is Special Kudo. What makes this fried chicken different from the others I’ve had is that it uses halal methods: the Islamic form of slaughtering where the animals are killed swiftly. However, the butchering alone does make the chicken taste so good. You have the liberty of choosing between spicy and original for the batter used to fry. As a newcomer, I took the conservative route and did two spicy and one original. I personally prefer a little spice, but not to the point where I have to say out loud “oh wow”. In this case, the spicy was not too noticeable, but there are some seasonings that I cannot explain that make up the batter. You’ll notice green and red specks within the golden crispiness, and whatever they are, they are delicious. There is only one Special Kudo in the world and that is a block from where I live on Broadway Street in Lakeview. Their mission statement proposes they want to expand to every state in the Union, and with their great food and low prices, I anticipate Special Kudo will achieve that goal.